A New Enemy
by Dragon Girl of Strata
Summary: The war with Talpa is over and the Ronins think that they can finally have a break. They were wrong. A new armor has appeared and is terrorizing Tokyo. How will the Ronins stop this new threat and what happens when some old enemies return to help?
1. Prologue

Okay, people! This is my first fanfic. I hope that you like it. But first….there's always a 'but'…..I want to explain a few things.

First off, I, highly unfortunately, do not own any part of the Ronin Warrior series. That rather sucks actually. I have some pretty good ideas.

Secondly, I'm, using the virtues from the Japanese series, not the American version. Here's how they go:

Ryo of Wildfire – righteousnessSage of the Halo – grace

Rowen of Strata – wisdomCye of the Torrent – trust

Kento of Hardrock – justice

Ex-Warlord Cale – obedience Ex-Warlord Sekmet – piety

Ex-Warlord Dais – serenityLady Kayura – loyalty

Wearer of the Armor of Dragons – courage

Thirdly, the only things that I own from my fanfic are my character, Sakura Naomi Xiazylong, and the actually story line.

Lastly, if you should decide to review my story, do try not to totally scorch it, will you? If you want to contact me personally, click on my penname on the top of the page (by the story title) and it'll take you to a page were you can e-mail me. I will attempt to fix all the mistakes that I see and make.

Thank you very much! Enjoy "A New Enemy"!


	2. A New Armor and Information

Ryo dropped a folded newspaper in front of the others. Rowen reached for it and opened it to the front page. There was a large black and white blurry photo on the front page. Despite the blurriness, they could still make out some of the picture. It was of an armored being holding a sword in one hand and a long scythe in the other. The armor looked much like their own. They couldn't see the face at all; the blurriness was worst in that area of the photograph. It was hard to tell if the figure was female or male. The headline over the picture and article read "Mysterious Being Terrified Tokyo."

"Is that weird or what?" said Ryo, sitting down.

"No kidding," answered Kento.

"What's this person doing in armor?" asked Cye.

"I think that a more important question is how they got it," said Sage.

"It answer Cye's question, all the article says is that this armored person is just terrorizing people, nothing bad," replied Rowen, scanning the article quickly. "I must agree with Sage here. How they got the armor is definitely vital. Maybe Mia will know something."

"Maybe," said Ryo. The school bell rang, signaling them to return to class. "Let's meet after school. See ya' guys later."

They partedand went totheir classes. Rowen couldn't get that article out of his mind. A mysterious being terrorizing Tokyo? It sounded like Talpa was back, but he and the other Ronins had destroyed Talpa almosta yearago. Everything had become quiet; they didn't have to fight any more battles and didn't have to worry about mystical armors anymore. It was almost as if life had returned to normal, before Talpa had ever appeared.

After school, the five boys regrouped by the bus stop. They talked as they waited for the bus that would take them to Mia's house.

"I was thinking about that article," said Rowen.

"Why doesn't that surprise us, Rowen?" asked Sage, rolling his eyes at his blue-haired friend. He was always thinking about something.

Rowen ignored his comment. "Don't you think that it's weird that this person's only terrorizing people?"

"What do ya' mean?" asked Ryo as they climbing onto the bus and sat down.

"Well, the last person that terrorized Tokyo was Talpa"

"Are you sure that you can call Talpa a person?" interjected Cye.

Rowen continued where Cye interrupted. "And at first he only terrorized but then he trapped the whole city before finally beginning to trap people, remember?"

"Who could possibly forget," muttered Ryo.

"So you're worried that this person could turn out to be like Talpa?" asked Sage.

"Yeah," agreed Rowen.

"You worry too much," said Kento.

"Humph," said Rowen, crossing his arms and looking out the window.

They rode the bus for almost an hour before getting off and trekking to Mia's house. They walked into and they dropped their backpacks on the dining room table. White Blaze was sleeping in the doorway to the kitchen, but woke up when Yulie raced down the stairs to see the boys.

"Hi guys!" said Yulie excitedly.

"Hi Yulie," they answered in unison.

"Mia's in the kitchen making dinner. Ryo, can I borrow white Blaze until dinnertime?" asked Yulie.

"Sure," answered Ryo, pulling his history textbook from his backpack.

Cye wandered into the kitchen to see what Mia was cooking for dinner. Ryo and the others sat at the dining room table and did their homework. After that and dinner, everyone was in the living room except for Cye and Mia, who in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner. Rowen still had that article on his mind. It was driving him insane.

"Hey Mia," said Rowen when she walked into the room, "take a look at this."

He handed her the newspaper that Ryo had showed them earlier. She looked at the picture and swiftly read the accompanying article. She looked at Rowen and said, "What do you want me to look up?"

Rowen smiled as did the other Ronins in the room.

"He wants you to try to find that armor in the picture," explained Sage.

"I can try. The photo's so blurry that it'll be hard. I haven't anything to do so I'll start now. I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

Mia headed up the stairs. They boys sat in the living room watching TV for a while before Mia walked back downstairs. She had discontent and frustration written on her face. Rowen's feeling that questions would be answered quickly vanished.

"Nothing?" he asked.

"Sorry, Rowen, but I couldn't find it anywhere in my grandfather's notes," said Mia, handing the paper back. "I can ask around at the university if you want."

"No, that's okay. Thanks for trying. Someone else I know might be able to help us with this," said Rowen.

"Really? Who's that?" asked Ryo.

"An old friend of mine. If she can't find the answer to this, then there's no answer," answered Rowen, standing and heading to the phone.

He picked up the receiver and dialed the number for his friend.

The next day Rowen and the others met outside the school to catch the bus. They got on a different bus than the previous day. This one went to the rich part of the city – Heighten View Terrence. People with a lot of money lived in penthouses in tall high-rise buildings. Apparently, Rowen's friend had money. They walked to a high-rise building and walked in. Rowen walked to the man at a counter off the lobby and briefly spoke to him. Rowen gestured for his friends to follow him and he led them to an elevator. They got inside and Rowen in the button for the tenth floor, the highest floor in the building.

They exited the elevator and walked down a long corridor that stopped at a shiny wooden door. It had a bright nameplate on the door that read 'S. N. Xiazylong.' Rowen knocked and canine sounds could be heard from the opposite side of the door. A second later, the prettiest girl any of them had ever seen opened the door.

She was tall, probably 5'5", and had a breath-taking figure that was perfectly proportioned. She had bright, intelligent green eyes and very long platinum blonde hair that was plaited in a tight braid that fell to the very small of her back. Blonde wisps of hair fell in her face. Her skin was a pale, creamy color that looked even more pallid by the black long sleeve off-shoulder shirt she wore. She also wore dark blue pants and black socks that disappeared under her pant-legs. She was holding back a large black dog by the collar.

She leaned against the door and said, "Rowen, long time no see. Come in, please." She gestured from them to enter.

As soon as they entered, they could tell that an artist lived here. A canvas stood on an easel in front of an open window that allowed sunlight to stream in. It was painted black with little wisps of colour here and there across its surface. Paints of every colour imaginable lined four shelves along a wall. A container of many types of paintbrushes sat next to it. Other art supplies orderly littered other shelves on the wall; these included watercolor paints, pastels, chalk, crayons, markers, paper, and molding clay. Painter's cloth lay on the floor under the canvas to prevent paint from dripping on the wooden floor.

A number of rooms led off this one great room. They could see a kitchen, an office, a spare bedroom, and a living room along with three rooms that had their doors closed. Everything in all the rooms that they could see were very neatly organized. The furniture was nice yet comfortable. All the floors were of polished wood and didn't look to have a speck of dirt on them. On that note, nothing looked to be dirty or dusty from what any of them could tell.

"So, since Rowen has completely forgotten his manners, I'll introduce myself. I'm Sakura Xiazylong," said the girl.

"Ryo Sanada."

"Sage Date."

"Cye Mouri."

"Kento Layfang."

"Nice to meet all of you," answered Sakura, smiling slightly and surveying the four friends of Rowen.

Two of them were cute. What were their names? Oh, yes. Ryo and Sage. The other two, Cye and Kento, she could group in the 'friend' category whereas they other two were put in the 'possible boyfriend' category. Now Rowen was a hard one to place in any of her many categories. He was definitely her friend; they had grown-up together. He also definitely fell into the 'possible boyfriend' category, too, because he liked her…a lot. He never let her forget that he liked her either.

"So, what is it that you wanted me to analyze?" asked Sakura turning to face Rowen.

Rowen handed her the newspaper. "This picture. What can you tell us about that armor?"

Sakura looked over it with a look of intense concentration and scrutiny on her face. She sat in one of the large armchairs in the room and gestured for them to take a seat. After a few minutes she spoke.

"Well the figure's holding a sword in one hand and a scythe in the other. And he's wearing armor of the ancient Japanese sort. Interesting. But you probably have already figured this much out. The armor is probable from the 11th, no, 12th century, judging by the looks of it. Yes, 12th century. I'm almost positive. This armor…I've seen it before." She paused, looking more intensely at the weapons. "This sword, I've seen it before, too. Very familiar, it is. Hmmm."

Sakura got up and went to the office. She sat down at the computer. They all looked at each other, shrugged, and then followed her. The office was neat and orderly. Dozens of books lined bookshelves that lined the left and right walls. The wall that was opposite the far wall had perhaps three dozen plaques and medals on it that Sakura had won. She typed something and hit 'enter' on the keyboard for the computer to search for it. She turned to them.

"So, when did this paper come out?" she asked, reading the article.

"Yesterday, I think. Right, Ryo?" Rowen shot at Ryo.

"Yup," confirmed Ryo.

"Hmmm. Well, it's out of date then. Avalanche!" Sakura loudly said the last word. A large white dog that looked awfully like a wolf plotted into the room. "Avalanche, go find me the paper will you? I've mislaid it, it seems."

"Mislaid? You mean lost?" corrected Rowen slyly.

"No, mislaid. Lost means that you can't find it at all. Mislaid means that you've just forgotten where you put it," said Sakura.

Rowen smiled and rolled his eyes. "What do you expect to find is today's paper?"

"A better picture, smarty pants," replied Sakura.

Avalanche came back with the newspaper in his mouth. He dropped it in his mistress's lap and sat next top the desk chair. Sakura scratched his ears with one hand and flipped through the paper with the other. A few moments later she exclaimed, "Aha! I thought so! I was right! What do you have to say now, genius?"

Rowen snatched the newspaper that Sakura was waving in front of him. The others looked over his shoulders. He looked at the front page. Sure enough, there was a better picture of the armored being. This one had a better view of the weapons. The sword looked almost like a katana, but the blade was different. It didn't look right, thought Sage. The handle of the sword was carved, but what it was, they couldn't tell. The scythe looked like a normal scythe – a long staff for the handle and a curved shiny blade.

"That sword that he's holding is over a thousand years old as is the armor. You'd think I'm crazy if I told you more about it," said Sakura.

"Try us," said Sage.

Sakura gave him a small smile. "Sit down. This may take a while." She took a deep breathe. "That armor is called the Armor of Dragons. It's one of ten mystical armors. The group of armors are called the Ronin Armors. They're the Armors of Wildfire, Strata, Halo, Torrent, Hardrock, Dragons, Venom, Cruelty, Illusion, and Darkness. Each one has a different elemental-type nature. Some are self-explanatory, like the Wildfire Armor is elemental fire and the Torrent Armor is elemental water. But others aren't as obvious, like the Dragons Armor is elemental ice and the Strata is elemental wind. The last four are very self-explanatory if you follow me. Each Armor works best in its own element, meaning that the Dragons Armor would be at an extreme disadvantage if it were fighting the Wildfire in a volcano or where there's a large heat source. All of these Armors, except the Dragons Armor, are based on an elemental power source."

"What do you mean? The Dragons Armor isn't based on an elemental power source?" asked Rowen. They had all found places to sit in the office and were listening to Sakura with interest. They didn't think that anyone besides Mia knew the Legend knew about the Armors.

"Well, the Dragons Armor's attack strength comes more from emotional energy than elemental energy. So even if it's fighting Wildfire in a volcano, Dragons can still win, though the possibility is fairly slim," explained Sakura. She was very good at explaining things.

"It would make sense than that the Armors would be stronger next to their power source. But what about the Venom, Cruelty, Illusion, and Darkness Armors?" asked Cye.

"The Darkness Armor would, of course, get its energy from any place where it's dark. The Illusion Armor gets its energy from places where there's lots of magical energy, such as a…temple. The Cruelty Armor can easily be reenergized on a battlefield because of the often cruel killings that took place there. Otherwise, the wearer could simply create its own power supply by being cruel. The Venom Armor is the hardest to reenergize because there's no known place where the wearer can go to get recharged."

"So you think that that armor in the photo is this Armor of Dragons?" asked Ryo.

"Yeah I do," answered Sakura.

"Why?" inquired Kento.

"Because the Dragons Armor has two weapons – a scythe and a reverse-bladed sword."

"What type of sword?" asked Sage. He had never heard of a reverse-bladed sword before. In fact, the idea of a sword with a reserved blade seemed impossible to him.

"A reserve-bladed sword. The sword's blade is reversed so that it is entirely incapable of killing. A normal bladed sword can easily kill but this one can merely seriously injure. This type of sword was once used in execution. It made rough cuts and stabs so that the unfortunate would bleed to death instead of dying quickly."

"How do you know all this stuff?" questioned Cye.

"You mean about the armors? I love legends and this one's my favorite. Besides that, my mum told me the legend as a kinda bedtime story every night. By the time I was five I had it memorized."

"Why are you so interested in the Armors?" asked Sage.

"Because I know that they are real, that they're out there somewhere."

"It's just a legend," said Rowen quickly, and the other boys all threw him swift glances. "Legends aren't real."

"Says you, Rowen. I know that this legend is true, that it's not just a fairytale. I went to the places where the Armors rest and none of them were there. That means that the wearers must have been found. I'm going to find those wearers and asked 'em a few questions. I want to find out more about these Armors," said Sakura.

Ryo was about to say something in reply when there was a shout from the main room.

"Naomi! I'm back!"

Sakura groaned. "Sorry. It's just my brother. I'll be right back. Excuse me."

She got up and left the office. The boys quietly talked among themselves while she was absent.

"She thinks that the Armors are real," said Rowen.

"Yeah, so?" said Kento.

"We can't let her think that," said Sage. "She might start to ask questions we can't explain."

"Who knows when she'll find out that we're the ones who are wearing them," said Cye.

"What'll we do?" asked Ryo.

"Discourage her. Tell her that the Armors don't exist. Tell her that they're just a legend," answered Rowen.

"I hope that you weren't talking interesting without me," said Sakura. She had walked back into the room with boy about twenty years old behind her. "Everyone, this is my brother, Yamato. Yamato, this is everyone. He's in town this weekend and decided to stop by for a bit. I hope that's alright."

"That's fine," said Cye.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Kento, pointing at her. Everyone looked at him. "You're Naomi Xiazylong?"

Sakura, Yamato, and Rowen exchanged looks. Sakura sighed and let her shoulders sag a little. Her brother burst out laughing. Rowen ducked his head, not looking at his childhood friend.

"You didn't tell 'em!" Yamato said, slamming her over the back.

"No, I didn't," replied Sakura, rubbing her shoulder.

"What are you goin' on about?" asked Cye.

"Naomi Xiazylong is only the best female gymnast and the best ice skater in the whole world. She won a whole bunch of medals in the Olympics," said Kento as if Cye should have known.

"Yeah, and she's one of the best fencers and is the reigning female kendo champ," amended Sage.

Their respect for her suddenly grew.

"Can we get back to the reason why we came?" interrupted Rowen.

"Oh, right, sorry…" muttered Kento.

Yamato was still silently laughing behind Sakura.

Sakura nudged him in the ribs before sitting down in the office chair. "Quit, Yamato. Hey, the search finished. Let's see here." She scanned the information that had popped up. "The Armor of Dragons rested in the glacier on Kita Dake – Japan's second highest mountain. Its elemental power is ice; I already told you that. Its weapons are a scythe and reversed bladed sword. This is the two stage of an armor called the Armor of Storms. The Armor of Storms is an ice elemental also, but it can handle heat a little better than the Dragons Armor. The Storms Armor is the second "layer" of the Armor."

"What does that mean?" asked Rowen.

"The layering works like this: the under gear, the Armor of Storms, and finally the Armor of Dragons. The Armor of Dragon is the most powerful level. Understand?"

"That makes sense," said Rowen, nodding in understanding.

"Okay then. That's all really," said Sakura, still scanning the article. "If I find anything else, I'll let you know."

"Thanks a million, Sakura," said Rowen. He got up. "We really have to go now."

"Alright. I'm glad I could be of help." She walked them to the door and opened it for them. "If you find anything, do let me know will you?"

"Be glad to," answered Ryo.

"Cool. Right then, I'll see you at school. Ciao, boys!"

Sakura shut the door after them. They walked down the hall, heading toward the elevator.

"She certainly does know a lot about the Armors," remarked Sage.

"She sure does," agreed Cye.

"She goes to our school?" said Ryo.

"Yeah, she's in almost every one of my classes," explained Rowen.

"You mean all the AP Advanced Placement classes," said Kento.

"Just because she's a blonde, doesn't mean that she's an idiot."

"Obviously," said Cye.

"In fact, she's the only person that's ever beaten me at anything academic," added Rowen, thoughtfully.

"Whoa," said Kento.

They all knew how smart Rowen was. That was why his virtue was wisdom. If anyone could outscore Rowen at anything, especially academically, then that person sure was intelligent.

A/N: Okay, okay, the first chapter ending could use some work, but give a break, will you? I'm just a beginning author. Please read and review. Flames are welcomed, but not appreciated. Thanks!


	3. Old Friends Return and More Information

The next day, the Ronin boys were sitting at the lunch table outside the cafeteria, waiting for the buses to come. They were talking energetically about all the boring classes that day.

"I absolutely _hate_ chemistry!" said Kento. "It's the worst class here!"

"That's only because you fall asleep in class and don't understand the homework," said Rowen, pointing his pencil lazily at him. He was working on his analytical geometry homework.

"No, the worst class is advanced geometry," said Ryo. "I just don't see the point of geometry. I mean, when are you goin' to use that junk?"

"I don't really have a worst class. My favorite class has got to marine biology," said Cye.

"Go figure," was all Kento said.

Sage was about to say something, but he suddenly stiffened and looked around the grassy lawn where they were. In the distance, some ways away from them, were two objects that looked to be people hidden in the shadows of the school. He left his books on the table and headed in that direction. The others looked at one other in confusion, shrugged, and then followed. They neared the chain link fence that surrounded the school grounds. The two figures stepped forward from the shadows and the boys all gasped.

"Kayura!" said Ryo.

"Sekmet," said Cye.

It was true; Lady Kayura and Sekmet, the Warlord of Venom, were standing in front of them. They could've blended in with the high school crowd that flowed constantly around the grounds and school. Kayura wore black jeans, a purple off-the-shoulder shirt, and simply black and purple boots. Her hair was still pulled back into its usual high ponytail. Sekmet was wearing faded blue jeans, a dark green t-shirt with a lighter green and black jacket over it, and regular tennis shoes.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sage coolly.

"We came here to give you some information," explained Kayura.

"Information? About what?" said Rowen.

"That new armor that has appeared in your world," replied Sekmet.

"What can you tell us?" inquired Kento.

"It's very powerful. Look what it did last night to a section of downtown Tokyo," said Kayura. She waved her hand and that day's newspaper appeared in her hand. She handed it to them.

Ryo took it and looked at the front page; the others were crowded around his shoulders to see it. There was a large picture of a department store…with all the windows blow out. All the windows were gone, leaving only jagged pieces of glass sticking up from the edges. All the streetlights near the building were also blown out. Glass littered the sidewalk and curb. The headline above the picture read, "Mysterious Figure Reeks Havoc in Downtown."

"Awful…isn't it?" Sekmet said in a bored, unconcerned voice. Both Kayura and the Ronins glanced at him.

"For someone whose virtue is piety, you're not very piteous," remarked Kayura in dry humor. "Anyway, as you can see, this armor is very strong."

"We can shatter windows, too, you know," said Kento huffily.

"We know," muttered Sekmet under his breath, but only Kayura heard him. She gave a slight smile at his comment.

"Yes, but this force is different than the force you create. Look at the glass. What do you notice about it?"

The Ronins looked at the photo again. Rowen examined it closely for a few moments. "The glass on the ground…there's too little of it to come from both the store and the streetlights. In fact, it only looks like enough to come from the lights," said Rowen slowly, looking up.

Kayura gave him a small smile. "True. The amount of glass on the sidewalk is only enough to account for the streetlights. What do you think happened to the rest of the glass? It couldn't have just disappeared."

"Maybe it was blown inside the building," suggested Sage.

"Yeah, like a vacuum. The armor might've created a vacuum and instead of the glass being blow _out_, it was sucked _in_," said Rowen.

"Exactly. That's the conclusion we came up with," said Sekmet.

Rowen looked back at the black and white photo on the front page. For an armor to create a vacuum was amazing. That armor had to be very strong to do that. He looked at the glass on the sidewalk again. Wait a minute. The sidewalk. It had a jagged crack running right through all the squares in the picture.

"The sidewalk," he said, "it has a huge crack in it."

Kento snatched the newspaper from Rowen. "It sure does. Do you think that the armor did that?"

"It's certainly possible. I don't know what armor that could have done it," said Kayura.

"Could it be the Armor of Dragons?" recommended Cye.

Kayura and Sekmet looked shocked. Kayura looked even paler than usual.

"I sincerely hope that it is not that armor," said Kayura.

"Why?" asked Ryo. "How strong is it?"

"To put it in understandable terms, it would make the Ronin Armors look like common soldier armor," said Sekmet quietly. "Even the Armor of Inferno would look like a plaything next to its power."

"Yes," agreed Kayura, nodding, "the Armor of Dragons is not something to take lightly or joke around with."

"What can you tell us it?" asked Kento, crossing his arms.

"It's very old, older even than the Ronin Armors. It might even be older than even Talpa's armor, but I'm not too sure that," answered Kayura. A question sprang to her mind. "How do you know about the Armor of Dragons?"

"Well, that's a little bit of a story," muttered Rowen. "You see-"

"Rowen! Guys!"

They all turned around to see Sakura running towards them across the school grounds. She was waving something in her hand. Her white-blonde hair swung side to side behind her as she ran.

"Kayura, Sekmet, I think you'd better" – Rowen turned towards them and then smiled – "disappear." Kayura and Sekmet were already gone.

"Rowen, where _have _you been?" Sakura demanded when she came up to them a few seconds later. "I've lookin' for you _everywhere_."

"We were, ah…" Rowen trailed off, rapidly thinking what to say.

Ryo picked up where he left off. "We were just looking to see if the buses were coming." It was a very lame excuse, but he had had short notice.

"Uh-huh, sure." Sakura said. "Anyway, I came to find you guys. My dad told me some more info about the Dragons Armor."

"Really? What is it?" asked Rowen.

She brandished a sheet of paper at them. "Here. Read this."

Rowen took it and read aloud, "The Dragons Armor was originally worn by a priestess that was the medium between the emperor and the dragon gods. However, the name of the emperor is unclear, although it was thought to be Talpa. The Emperor often included this priestess on important matters much to disapproval of his other advisors. However, her predictions were continually correct, which the advisors didn't like because the Emperor started to ask only her opinion and not theirs. The Emperor was told secretly by the priestess that his other advisors were disgruntled that he was only asking her for opinions and not them. The Emperor was, of course, angry with his other advisors for not telling him that they were dissatisfied with the way he was doing his business. He had them executed later that day."

"She was certainly mean, wasn't she?" interjected Cye, and Sakura nodded.

Rowen continued. "The priestess was said to be the real ruler of everything the Emperor had claimed as his own. It is said that the Emperor and the priestess had had a daughter, but no evidence could be found to support this theory. The priestess was sent to the battlefield with the Emperor and there, she found along side him, wearing her mystical armor. It was said to have the strength and the power of the gods. She often killed more than the soldiers of her Emperor.

"At one battle, however, the priestess was killed by a lone soldier simply known as the Ancient One." Rowen stopped here for a moment and glanced up at them. He returned to reading. "According to legend, the priestess sealed her spirit in her armor before she completely died. The armor is thought to be cursed because of her spirit, which is said to be unquestionably evil."

Rowen stopped reciting and looked at them. This was the prelude to the Ancient's battle with Talpa. It must have happened after he killed this priestess. This priestess appeared to be a very powerful person. Moreover, if she and this Emperor (Rowen didn't seriously believe that it was Talpa) had had a daughter, then that meant that she could be versed in the priestess' ways and practices. He mentally shivered; Talpa was hard enough to beat. He didn't feel like diving into battle so soon.

"Of course, you must keep in mind that all this is just supposedly true. It hasn't been proven…yet. I'm sure that my dad will find something on it eventually," said Sakura, interrupting all of the boys' ponderings.

"Your dad? What does he do?" asked Ryo.

"He's an archeologist that specializes in the defenses of ancient civilizations. You know: swords, armors, and the like. He's been trying to find evidence of this for years," explained Sakura. "I know he's goin' to find some soon. I can almost taste it."

"Well, that was interesting, but I still don't think that that armor is this Armor of Dragons, Sakura," said Sage. "Sorry, but I need more convincing."

Sakura just shrugged. "Suit yourself, Sage. I know that it's out there somewhere. And I can't wait to find it." She looked over Cye's shoulder. "Oh crap! Here come the buses. Ciao, boys!"

She ran towards the edge of the school building, stopped, waved at them, and then rounded the corner, disappearing from view. The boys waited until she was out of earshot to talk about the information.

"This cannot be good," said Sage.

"Tell me about it," agreed Kento. "An evil spirit inhabiting armor? That's crazy."

They all rolled their eyes at him and headed back toward the picnic table to grab their books.

"This is serious, Kento," said Ryo. "We can't take this lightly. We might have another fight on our hands. I think that with these facts and Sekmet and Kayura's-"

Kento snorted. "Don't tell me that you're actually goin' to believe that crone – Ouch! That hurt!"

He quickly put his hands to the back of his head and turned around. Kayura was standing there, throwing a rock in the air and catching it with one hand. She looked somewhat ticked off.

"I suggest you watch what you say, Hardrock," she said threateningly.

"That really hurt! You didn't have to hit me," argued Kento. He looked at his hand. "It's not bleeding, is it?"

"You're fine," answered Cye. "With a head as hard as yours, I'm surprised you even felt it."

"Ha ha, very funny, Cye," muttered Kento as the other Ronins laughed.

"Did you want to tell us something else?" asked Sage.

"Yes, actually there is." Kayura stopped throwing the rock and held it in her hand. "The girl with the blonde hair, what's her name?"

"Oh, that's Sakura. She's an old friend of mine," explained Rowen.

"Is that where you heard about the Armor of Dragons?"

"Yeah."

"You listened to her?" It was half-question, half-disbelief.

"Yes, I did. I trust what she says," said Rowen evenly. "You must have heard what I read from that sheet of paper she handed me."

"I did. You are discouraging her from looking for the armors, right?"

"Of course, we did," snapped Kento.

"She's convinced that they exist. She said that when she finds the wearers, she going to ask 'em a few questions about the armors," said Sage.

"Did she now?" said Kayura thoughtfully. "I suggest that you watch her carefully. She might be trouble."

"Trouble?" repeated Rowen with a laugh. "The only trouble she'll cause is with her teammates."

"All the same, keep an eye on her when you can," insisted Kayura. She turned to Sage. "And Halo, next time you see her, check out her aura. I thought that it was a little too strong for a normal human."

And with that, Lady Kayura disappeared.

"Like I really needed that order," muttered Sage, turning and walking toward the buses, the others following him.

"Does having a strong aura mean anything, Sage?" asked Ryo.

"Not really. We have brighter auras than normal people but that's because we wear the Armors." Sage shrugged. "Some people just have bright auras. If they're really athletic or are constantly happy then more they do."

"Well, Sakura's definitely athletic. In fact," Rowen looked at his watch, "I have to go. I told her that I'd watch her practice today."

"I thought that you have basketball practice," asked Cye.

"No. Couch Morimoto is sick today, so practice was canceled. See you guys later!" Rowen waved at them and then started down the street, leaving them to get on their respective buses home.

A/N: Alrighty then! How was that? Okay? No? Please R&R! Flames are welcomed, but not appreciated. Thank you!


	4. The Enemy Met

_Whack!...Whack!...Whack!_

Rowen watched as Sakura pouched the pouching bag. She bounced on the balls of her feet like a boxer in a ring. She hit the bag ever few moments, sending it swinging.

_Whap!_

She kicked the bag so hard it swung up, becoming parallel to the floor. Rowen smirked and clapped. Sakura turned around. The pouching bag came toward her and she stopped it with one hand. She took off the boxing gloves, threw them to the side, and smiled at him.

"Oh, hey, Rowen. I forgot that you were supposed to come by," she said. She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss. "I thought that you had basketball practice."

"Coach's sick," Rowen said. He kissed her again. "So I thought that I would stop by to see how you were doin'."

"I'm doin' okay."

"I can see that. When does practice end?"

"At five. That gives me fifteen minutes. I have to do a new floor routine for the next competition. Wanna see it?"

"Sure." He set his backpack on the floor and pulled up a chair. "Whenever you're ready."

She gave him a smile and headed on to the floor. She went over to the farther corner of the floor mat and stood just within the white lines that went all the way around, indicting the out-of-bounds. She stood facing him and ran until about the center before executing a cartwheel and then a round off. She landed with her back towards Rowen. She did a front flip with a roll out ending. She did somersaults, cartwheels, round offs, pikes, rollouts, and front and back flips in combination for the rest of her routine. She landed perfectly in front of Rowen well within the limits of the lines.

"That was awesome, Sakura," said Rowen, his applause echoing in the large, empty practice room.

"Thanks, Rowen." She smiled at him and picked up her towel. She wiped the sweat from her face. "What do you think? Did you see anything wrong?"

"I told you that I thought it was awesome. You know that everything you do, I think is perfect. There's never anything wrong with anything that you do," replied Rowen.

"I know who to come to if I want flattering compliments," said Sakura. She picked up her gym bag and, after making sure everything was in it, left with Rowen.

They left together, talking and laughing about varies things. They walked to the park, holding hands. When they stopped to rest on a park bench, Sakura seemed suddenly very tired to him.

"Hey, Sakura, are you okay?" Rowen asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. I'm just really tired. I don't know why. Practice probably wore me out. I'm going to bed earlier than I normally I do, yet I'm still tired," answered Sakura, leaning against his shoulder.

"Well you know that too much sleep makes you tired, too."

"Really? I didn't know that." She yawned and covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry, maybe I should head home."

"That's okay. I'll come with you," offered Rowen. He stood and helped her up.

"Thanks for the offer, but no. I'll manage. I'll be fine. See you tomorrow." She walked off, leaving Rowen staring after her.

That was definitely strange, he thought some time later while he was riding the bus to his own apartment. She always accepts my offer, usually. I wonder what's wrong with her. He got home and went inside. His dad was home from the lab at the Tokyo University. He was always working. Rowen hardly ever saw his dad, sometimes Rowen just missed him or they didn't see each other for days at a time. His dad was a workaholic and Rowen hated it.

"Hi, Dad," said Rowen, dropping his keys on the kitchen counter. "How was work?"

"I suppose it was alright," his father answered. "How's school? Are you're grades as good as ever?" He was reading a newspaper at the kitchen counter.

"School's okay. My grades are the same I guess." Rowen went to the fridge and grabbed a can of soda.

"You guess? Rowen, what did I tell you about guessing? Everything is exact or it's not. There is no 'I guess', understand?" his father shot at him.

"Of course, Dad," Rowen responded. "Not everything is an exact science, you know."

"Don't be a smart ass," he father snapped. Rowen supposed in an instant that his father's work at the university hadn't gone 'alright', but rather badly.

"It's true, though. History isn't an exact science."

"History isn't a science, Rowen. It's…something else."

"Well, life science isn't an exact science," argued Rowen, after taking a drink from his soda. He almost enjoyed arguing with his dad. If he ever was right about something, his father would sit and ponder for hours, thinking if Rowen was indeed correct.

His father was silent for a long time. Rowen was about heading towards his room to start his homework when his father's voice stopped him.

"Your mother called today. She's going to drop by the day after tomorrow for a little while. You should be here. She wants to now how you're doing, since you never call to talk to her."

Rowen stiffened. His father and mother had been divorced for almost fifteen years. They had gotten the divorce when he was about two years old. With his father always being away at the university lab and his mother constantly away with her job, they hadn't had time to get to know each other the way a married couple should. And it didn't help that they were a dozen years apart in age either. His father ended up treating his mother more like a daughter then a wife, or at least that's what his parents' friends had said when he had asked them.

"Rowen, did you hear me?" his father asked over the top of his paper.

"Yeah, Dad, I heard you," answered Rowen. "I'll be in my room doing homework if you need me."

If his father had said anything, Rowen had missed it. He walked into his room and shut the door firmly. He never liked talking about his mother, especially to his father. It was like trying to play hopscotch in a minefield – impossible.

He sat at his desk, opened his book bag, pulled out his books, and began to work.

At school the next day, Rowen sat with the other Ronins during lunch. They were talking about all sorts of things when he noticed that Sakura was walking into the cafeteria. He waved her over to their table.

"You guys don't mind, do you?" he asked after she began to come over.

"No. It's fine," answered Cye for all of them.

"Hello," said Sakura. "May I sit down?"

"Sure," said Ryo.

She sat down between Rowen and Ryo and across from Sage, Cye, and Kento. "Thanks," she said.

"You look really tired, Sakura," commented Rowen. "Did you get some sleep last night?"

"Yeah, but I'm still tired. I was so tired last night that I went to sleep about eight-thirty. I normally don't go to sleep until ten or so. I'd really like to know what's wrong with me," answered Sakura, resting her elbow on the table and leaning into her palm. "Oh, here; I got the paper this morning. Look at the front page."

She grabbed a rolled up newspaper out of her school bag that she had rested behind her on the floor when she had sat down. She handed it to Sage and he looked at it.

"This person sure is busy," Sage commented.

"What person?" asked Kento through a mouthful of food.

"What other person have we been talking about? The armored person, Kento," said Ryo.

"Right. I knew that," answered Kento.

Sage dropped the paper on the table for all of them to look at. There was another picture on the front. This time the incident was more serious than just breaking windows and streetlights. According to the caption beneath the photo, it said that it had happened in the park. Trees had been uprooted, benches over turned, and the small lake that was in the center of the park was frozen solid.

"It says that the fish were frozen in the water. Just suspended in the water," read Rowen, scanning the article.

"That's horrible!" said Cye.

"Sounds like fish sticks to me," muttered Kento.

"Kento! That is not funny!" declared Cye angrily while Sakura hid her smile behind her hand. She noticed that Ryo was the only other one that was attempting not to smile or laugh. Sage and Rowen didn't seem to find that amusing at all.

"Kento, you know better," scolded Sage.

"You like fish?" Sakura asked Cye.

"Yes, and other marine life, too," responded Cye, still throwing dark looks at Kento. "I grew up by the ocean and I swam with them a lot when I was little."

"And he doesn't eat fish either," reported Kento.

"I personally don't blame him," said Sakura. "I see Cye's point. I couldn't eat dog while I was in Korea with my mother a few years ago."

"What do your parents do, Sakura?" asked Sage.

"Well, my dad's an archeologist and my mum's mythologist/linguist," answered Sakura.

"That certainly explains a lot of things. That's how you know so much about the armors and the legend behind them," said Ryo.

"Yep." She yawned. "Sorry about that. I have to go now. See you guys later."

"Bye," they all chorused.

She left them, pulling her shoulder bag over her shoulder. Rowen watched her leave, worried. She was naturally a "night owl" type of person. She wasn't exactly a morning person, normally being crabby and snappish with people, but never really tired. He decided that he'd check up on her later.

"Hey, Rowen, the bell rang. Hurry up, or you'll be late for class," said Cye.

"Coming," said Rowen, picking up his tray, putting it away, and heading to his locker to get his books for his afternoon classes.

Later that evening, the Ronin boys were walking towards Kento's house to get dinner before each going home. The streetlights were just flickering on.

"What's your mum making for dinner?" asked Cye. Kento's parents run a popular restaurant in Chinatown.

"I dunno, but long as there's lots of it, it's fine with me. I'm starving!" said Kento.

"I hope it's hot," said Ryo. "It's freezing out here."

"Yeah, it is rather cold," agreed Sage. "I wonder why. It normally doesn't get weather like this in late September."

"The weather guy was wrong this morning then," said Kento. "He said that the low today would only be 54, not 34."

"Stop complaining, Kento," said Rowen. "We don't want to hear it."

They walked on silence for anther block or so before rounding a corner and seeing something shocking. It was the armored being. He was standing in front of a building where people could tan. The figure was dressed in a black armor that looked to have parts from each of the Ronin Armors. He removed a long sword from a sheath on his back and held it ready to slash the window in front of him.

"Hey!" called Ryo.

The figure turned when Ryo shouted. A face protector covered his eyes and nose with a solid piece of metal that had a ridge for the nose. They could only see his mouth. A puff of smoke came out of his mouth as he breathed. The Ronins all had a feeling that they would be fighting. They quickly put on their under gear.

"Who are you?" the figure asked, and the voice sounded feminine, not masculine as they had expected.

"We're the Ronin Warriors," answered Ryo, proudly. "And who are you?"

"That is not important. Get out of here. You are wasting my time." The figure, who the boys were now sure was a girl, turned away from them.

"What do you want?" asked Rowen.

"I want you to go away," she answered, and Rowen was vaguely reminded of someone he knew.

"Have a sense of humor, do you?" said Kento.

"I have no time for you Ronin idiots," she said. "Leave before I make you."

"Then make us because we're not going anywhere," said Ryo.

"Very well then. I will."

She turned back towards them and raised her sword. The Ronins took up defensive stances. Rowen blinked and the figure was gone.

"Where?" he started but he got his answer before finishing the question.

The figure was right in front of him. She struck him with her sword across the chest. He fell backwards, a hand over the cut that was in his under gear.

"Hey!" shouted Ryo.

He ran for the figure, but she had disappeared again. He stopped just in front of Rowen, looking around. The figure appeared behind him, slashing him across the back. He hit the ground with a dull _thud_.

"Are you two okay?" asked Sage.

"Just fine," said Ryo.

"I'm good," said Rowen.

They got up and formed a circle, their backs towards each other.

"Stay on guard," warned Cye.

A cool gust of wind came from above them. They all looked up and saw the figure dropping down on them. The Ronins barely were able to leap out of the way. There was a cloud of dust and smoke where they had been standing. When it cleared, they could see a large crater and the girl. Her sword was held carelessly in one hand at her side. She smiled nastily.

"You are a little quicker than I thought, but you're not fast enough," she said.

She disappeared again. She appeared behind Sage and he turned around just in time to see a wave of black energy come at him. The attack sent him flying back into a light post. The light went out and the glass of the light rained down on him.

She was about to attack again when she paused. They could hear the sirens of police cars coming in their direction. She straightened and looked at them.

"We will have to finish this later," she said, and disappeared.

"Sage, are you okay?" asked Cye.

"Yeah, I fine," Sage answered, getting up.

"I think that we should get outta here before we get caught," said Rowen.

When the police cars and the reporters arrived on the scene two minutes later, the Ronins were gone.

A/N: How was that? A cliffhanger. Don't you just hate those? R&R, please! Thanks!


	5. Trouble and a Reporter's Return

Sakura woke with a headache. Great, she thought bitterly, another one. She threw the covers off and stood up. Why was she so hot in her room? She went over to the window and opened it. A gust of wind blew into her room and passed over her face, causing her hair to flutter around her. A thought occurred to her. Her hair was down. That was odd; she remembered putting it up last night before she went to bed. She always did that; it was habit. Oh well.

A knock sounded on her door.

"Sakura, are you awake in there?" called Yamato, her brother.

"Yeah," she called. "You can come in."

Her bother walked in. He was taller than she was; she was about 5' 5" and he was about 5' 11". He had black hair and blue eyes, unlike her. Most people didn't even know that they were siblings. When Yamato came in, he shivered.

"Gods, Sakura. It's freezing in here. What's the matter with you? It's forty degrees out there," he asked, shutting the window she had just opened.

"Well, it's hot in here. Leave it open," she ordered. She opened her closet and pulled out a pair of black pants and a sleeveless blue turtleneck sweater along with shin-high black boots.

"If you catch pneumonia, it won't be my fault."

"That's right."

"I just came to say that, one, I'm leaving, and, two, Rowen called last night, but I don't him that you had gone to bed already. It didn't sound too important. He told me not to wake you up."

"Thanks, bro. Have a good day at work. See you when you get home."

"Chao, sis."

He left the room,shutting the door,and she got dressed. She glanced in her mirror on her way out of her room and then did a double take. She was very pale and had a cut by her hairline. How did that get there? She let her bangs hang over it and pulled the rest of her hair into a ponytail. Her dogs, or wolves rather, were waiting for her in the kitchen. She fed them and then took them for a quick walk. When she got home, she found the newspaper sitting on the counter. She looked at the front page and saw another report of the armored being. It read:

_**Another Attack on by Mysterious Being**_

**Last night, around seven-thirty, the police say, was another vicious attack by the mysterious, armored person that has been lately attacking random places throughout the city. There are still no reports on who this person is or what he wants. At the latest attack, there appears to be someone else with this being. It seems that there was a fight between the two. A large hole is in the middle of the street and a streetlight had the glass shattered from its lamp…There is still no report on where this individual will attack next…**

Sakura read the article three times to make sure she understood correctly. Another being? That could mean another armor. These two armors had to have loads of power to create a hole in the middle of the street. There was a picture of it. It wasn't a hole; it was a small crater. It looked to go deep down into the street. She could see the pipes.

A bark brought her back from her musings. She looked at the clock and gasped. It was 7:35! She was going to be late for school! She quickly grabbed her school things, said good-bye to her pets, and left her apartment, locking the door behind her.

Rowen was waiting from Sakura on the corner. She was never late. She must have overslept, he thought grumpily. (He was not a morning person.) But no, he corrected himself, she never overslept. Not in all the years that he had known her. He was about to start off without her when he heard the sounds of running feet. He turned around and saw Sakura racing toward him. She stopped right in front of him and leaned against him to catch her breath.

"It's about time," said Rowen.

"S-sorry, Rowen, but I wasn't paying attention to the time," panted Sakura.

"Well, you're here now, and that's important. Let's go. I don't want to be late for class."

Together they started off. Sakura showed Rowen the newspaper and then directed him where to walk as he read it. When he finished, she said, "That's why I was late. I was reading that article."

"I'll show it to the others at lunch today. Are you going to be there?" he asked. They turned into the sidewalk that ran in front of the school.

"No, I don't think so. The basketball coach said that I can use the gym today, and the only time that no one else is using it is when our lunch is. I'll get something to eat between classes," answered Sakura.

Theirother friends came up to them.

"Good morning," said Cye.

"Morning," said Sakura cheerfully. Rowen nodded. "Excuse him. He's not a morning person. I kinda ticked him off this morning by being a little late. He'll get over it by second hour, don't worry." She looked at her watch. "Dragons above us! Igotta go. I'll you guys later." She left, weaving through people in the hallway to get to her locker.

At lunch, Rowen was in better mood, as Sakura had predicted. He showed the others the newspaper that Sakura had shown him that morning. They looked at it.

"What do you think?" he asked them when they had finished reading.

"This girl's strong," said Kento. In a lowered voice he added, "She nearly pounded us into the ground yesterday."

"I know," agreed Cye, also in a quieter voice than normal. "She could've finished us off."

"That crater's huge," said Kento. "It didn't look that bigger last night."

"It's just the camera, Kento. It's probably set on extreme zoom or something," explained Rowen.

"Hey, Rowen, do you know someone named Satsuki Hashiba?" asked Sage, looking at the end of the article.

"Yeah. Why?" replied Rowen.

"She's the one who wrote the article and took the photos," said Sage.

"What!"

Rowen grabbed the page from him and looked at the bottom of the article. Sage was correct; at the end of the article was typed "Written by Satsuki Hashiba. Photographs courtesy of Satsuki Hashiba." It was his mother for sure. His mother was a writer and photographer for one of the largest newspapers in Tokyo. She was the field correspondent and traveled a great deal with her job. He hadn't seen her in over a year. That's why she was stopping by his apartment that night; she was in town, back from an assignment.

"Why are you so shocked?" asked Cye.

"I haven't seen my mom in over a year. The last time I heard from her, she was in th U.S., inChicago. She was working on a story. She must've come back for a new assignment or something," said Rowen distractedly.

"Why are you so worked up? I'd be happy to see my mom if I hadn't seen her in over a year," said Sage.

"I guess so. I just haven't seen her in a long time. When I see her tonight, I'll talk to her," decided Rowen.

The bell rang and they spilt up to go to class. Rowen walked past the gym to see how Sakura was practicing only to find out that she wasn't in there. His basketball coach was there however.

"Hey, coach," he called.

His coach saw him and came over. "What can I help you with, Rowen?"

"Has Sakura Xiazylong been in here? She told me that the coaches let her practice in here today during lunch," explained Rowen.

"No. No one's been in here. The principal won't let anyone practice in there because the heater broke. It's like a winter day in there. It's really weird; the heater was working fine this morning," said his coach.

"Maybe it just malfunctioned. It happens to machines," suggested Rowen. "Can you tell Sakura that I was looking for her, if you see her?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, coach." Rowen left and went to class.

A girl was staring at the greenhouse that was on the roof of the school. She tried the door and found that it was locked. She balled her hand into a fist and pouched a hole through the door. Shards of glass cut her hand and wrist, but she didn't notice. She opened the door and walked in.

Green plants and late blooming flowers were on wooden racks, tables, and benches. Bright, yellow heat lamps shone down on them, supplying the plants with artificial sunlight. She smiled nastily. She unplugged the heat lamps and watched them slowly lose their brilliance. After five minutes of impatient waiting, she decided that it was time to act.

She grabbed the cord of the nearest one and ripped it from the ceiling, letting it fall on the plants. She did this for the rest of the lights that hung from the ceiling. The heavy lights crushed plants and smashed flowerpots. She hated heat. She hated everything that had anything to do with it. These plants needed sunlight to live, and sunlight was hot. If she had her way, she would block the sun and make the world into a huge glacier. Even if she destroyed the heat lamps, the thick windows could still retain the heat that the lamps had given off before she had broken them. She couldn't have that.

She picked up pieces of ceramic pot and some rocks and threw them at the glass roof of the greenhouse. The glass shattered and rained down on her. It didn't cut her. After she shattered all the glass in the roof windows, she proceeded to break the windows that made the walls. These were easier to break. Ever so carelessly, she pushed the benches and tables over. They broke there the glass, creating gapping holes in the sides.

She picked up each plant from the wooden racks and dropped it to the floor, where the pot shattered. She did this until she was bored. She pushed each rack hard against the wall, and watched, smiling, as it crashed through. Then she walked out the door of the terrorized greenhouse. She was about to walk down the stairs that led to the highest floor of the school, but paused. The botany students would simply get a new greenhouse and fix the heat lamps. It wouldn't take long until they had it running again.

She crossed the roof to a building at had some electrical things in it. She walked in, the door unlocked. Well that was stupid; they lock the greenhouse but not the electrical shed. She looked around and saw circuit breakers. She smiled evilly and opened them. She scanned them, reading the labels of each one. The chemistry lab, the computer lab, the office…the list went on and on. She reached forward and pulled out all the cables, destroyed the fuses. The school lost all electricity. She grinned and made her way to the stairs, back to class.

"What the hell?" said Kento. He was sitting in chemistry class when the lights went out.

"Kento, language," said his teacher sternly. "I'll call up to the office and find out what's going on. No one panic." She made her way to her desk and called the office with the phone that sat on her desk. "Yes, this is Sensei Moro. What happened to the lights?" She talked on the phone for a few minutes before putting the receiver down.

"Well, what's the deal, sensei?" asked Kento.

"What the "deal" is, Kento, is that no one in the school has lights. The custodian went up to the electrical shed on the roof and found that all the fuses and wires had been ripped out. And the greenhouse has been completely destroyed. It seems we have a delinquent at our school," remarked Sensei Moro.

That's terrible, thought Kento, who would do something like that?

School let out early that day because of the electricity. Rowen, Kento, Cye, and Sage met outside the school, waiting for Ryo. He was late again. For a leader, his sense of time was not very good. He came out about ten minutes of waiting.

"What took you so long?" asked Kento.

"I saw Sakura by her locker and talked few a minutes," said Ryo.

Sakura walked out of the doors and over to them. "Hello, boys," she said cheerfully.

Sage noticed a bandage wrapped around her right hand and wrist. "What happened?" he asked, pointing to her hand.

She held it up, looking at it. "I don't know. I don't remember hurting it."

"I'd think I'd remember if I hurt my hand that badly," said Cye.

"Why weren't you in the gym practicing today?" questioned Rowen.

"The basketball coach said that the heater was broken and I didn't have enough time to eat lunch so I just went to the library." She fanned her face with her hand. "Is it hot out here or is it just me?"

The temperature was probably fifty degrees, and she thought it was hot? Maybe she was sick or something. Rowen put a hand on her forehead.

"Hey!" said Sakura, pushing his hand away. "What's the big idea?"

"Just checking to see if you were sick," said Rowen. "You're acting strange."

"Are you sure I'm the one acting strange?" she demanded. "I have to go."

She left in a huff, her braided hair swinging behind her. She was acting weird. She didn't remember how she hurt her hand and she that it was hot outside when most people wore windbreakers. She walked around in a sleeveless shirt with her hair pulled back. Rowen would have to keep an eye on her.

Rowen walked home after getting a snack with the other Ronins. When he got home, he found the door open so he walked in. His mother sat at the counter, hunched over sheets of paper and photographs. She didn't even hear him enter.

"Hey, Mom," he said loudly. She was a very focused worker.

She looked up and smiled widely at him. "Rowen dear, I didn't hear you come in. How are you? I thought school got out later than this."

"I'm fine, I guess. Normally school does get out later but there were electrical problems and the principal saw no reason in letting us stay when we can't see what the teachers are trying to teach us," explained Rowen. He grabbed a soda out of the fridge and put a bottle of water in front of her.

"Thanks, dear," she said.

"Umm, I saw that you're doing the armor story in the paper," he commented.

"Yes, my boss called me back after the first sighting. He said that if anyone could figure out who this person was, it was me. Isn't it exciting? I wonder where he will strike next."

"You mean 'she'," corrected Rowen without thinking.

"This person's a girl? How do you know that?" inquired his mother.

"Oh it's just a guess that's all," he said hastily. He drained his soda and grabbed his book bag. "I'm goin to work on my homework. Can you let me know when you leave?"

"Sure, dear." His mother sounded sad that he was deserting her.

He gave her a quick hug and said, "I missed you while you were away. Can you tell me anything new you find out about this story?" He pulled away and grabbed his soda and backpack.

"Sure, dear, but why are you so curious?"

"Well, in history class, we're supposed to keep track of a story in the news until it ends. I just figured that with you being the leading reporter you could let me know of anything the papers don't tell the public," answered Rowen, shrugging.

"Anything for you, dear," replied his mother.

She went back to her work and Rowen went down the hall to his room to do his homework.


End file.
